City, French Restaurant Guide

“With its quietly thrumming ambience, well-spaced tables and unobtrusive service from staff used to looking after royalty”, this “eternally discreet” brasserie hidden in a cute Mayfair mews is a long-established favourite for a blue-blooded, establishment crowd (and “perfect for doing business in”). Elegantly suited owner, Gavin Rankin, smoothly commands the space – “his team are wonderfully welcoming” and “all this is supported by classic French food, an excellent and keenly priced wine list, and a set lunch menu that’s a bargain (ideal for when Finance put a cap on your entertaining budget)”. Top Menu Tips – “Martinis, oysters and staples like steak tartare are prominent”.

“It is a complete mystery how the Michelin guide has failed to recognise Elliot Moss’s wonderful food creations”, say followers of his tiny but “opulent” three-year-old in St John’s Wood, where the only option is an extended tasting menu. “The chef is a true artist who does everything himself: each phenomenal and fun dish looks too good to eat but the visuals are actually secondary to the insanely addictive deliciousness of the flavours” (“his foie gras dish leaves you desperate for ‘just one more mouthful’… and I don’t even like foie gras!”) Fooderati insiders, Koffmann & Vines, also waxed lyrical over their meal here this year, proclaiming it ‘a true gastronomic experience’. “May he go from strength to strength.”

“A candlelit supper for two here first is a surefire route to romance later!” according to fans of this “timeless” Gallic corner of Pimlico, which has “been a favourite for decades” (and which perennially nears the top of our list of London’s most romantic destinations). With its “cosy and intimate” hidden nooks, the “warren-like” interior “oozes rural France”, as do the “charming” and characterful waiters. Its “solid and traditional French bistro-style fare” is entirely in keeping: cassoulet, coq au vin, escargot, onion tart, steak frites, tarte Tatin, all washed down with “vin rouge from the large bottle” (with consumption measured by a dip-stick). “Why would you change anything about it?” Top Tip – in summer, the “good outside tables” come into their own.

“Reliably great after all these years” – Pascal Aussignac and Vincent Labeyrie’s renowned institution near Smithfield Market occupies a stylishly converted former Lyons Tea House and continues to mine southwest France for its culinary inspiration: notably “very inventive presentations of foie gras” paired with “a different range of wines that one sees in most other restaurants, given its regional emphasis”.

“Invitingly tucked away off Victoria Street”, “it feels like stepping into Paris” at this “good little bistro”, where “helpful staff” deliver “a short but interesting” all-day menu of “simple but delicious fare” at “good value prices” (“excellent saucisson, and good bavette steak, duck leg… a very good tarte Tatin and reasonably priced house wine!”). Only fleeting mentions for the branch cutely located in the tourist hell of Covent Garden on the lower ground level of the market itself, but all good.

“Flying slightly under the radar”, this “superior City venue” is “a lovely find, right in the heart of the the Square Mile where it can be hard to encounter a good meal” (“clients are always pleased to visit it!”). “The front of house team are so charming” and deliver “precise and tasty” Gallic cuisine. The major attraction here, though, is the “comprehensive wine list” – “one of the best wine selections in London: it’s hard to find a better selection of Burgundy, but the other region lists are well represented”, with “many rewards to be found, both on pricing and rare gems”.

Named for its “phenomenal wine list” – featuring 110 wines available by the glass using the Coravin wine storage system – this London outpost of a famous Parisian group offers a professional all-round formula, which also incorporates high-quality, modern French cuisine and “excellent service” (with particularly “superb sommelier knowledge”); all served in the “well-lit and welcoming” setting of a stylish dining room, looking onto Cavendish Square. On the downside, it can seem expensive; and “on a quiet night, atmosphere is lacking”.

Converted from a Tudorbethan pub in Marylebone (complete with black and white exterior and leaded-glass windows), this three-floor wine bar and restaurant is part-owned by a scion of the French dynasty behind Château Margaux, explaining the extensive list of vintages from the estate on the French-centric list, many available by the glass. The better-than-incidental French/Italian cooking is also well-rated.

“The cramped basement is super-cute and atmospheric” (“its booths and candles making it one of the more romantic venues in town”) at this “little piece of Paris in the heart of Covent Garden”. With its “decent French provincial-style cooking” it is particularly tipped as a “very acceptable pre-theatre option”.

“In a part of Mayfair heaving with Michelin stars, William Drabble and his team (operating out of a townhouse hotel) continue to knock it out of the park”, providing a “wonderful and very extravagant time”. “William is always in the kitchen where he belongs, not in the TV studios” and some fans feel he “doesn’t get all the plaudits he deserves” for his “exceptional cuisine, with big bold flavours. Nothing is done only for effect, as every ingredient on a plate serves a purpose. The tasting menu delivers upon this, course after course. Combine all that with knowledgeable and approachable staff and this really is a place to rave about”.

“Still impressive, reinventing itself and going strong!” – David Moore is the “warmest of hosts” and his exceptional Fitzrovian townhouse has been at the vanguard of London’s dining scene for three decades now. “Many chefs pass through his patronage” – the current incumbent being Asimakis Chaniotis, whose “surprising” and “fabulously flavoursome” dishes include the option of one of London’s foremost vegan tasting menus: “particularly impressive, imaginative and fun – even carnivores don’t miss the meat!” It’s not a huge site, but clever conversions over the years have created a “comfortable” and “lively” space (with a chef’s table and bijoux private dining room on the upper floors). There were a couple of ‘off’ reports this year, of the “maybe-I-caught-it-on-a-bad-night” variety. But all-round raves remain the norm here: “I have been coming to this restaurant for over two decades and have never failed to be delighted!”. Top Tip – “the vegan feast was a highlight of lockdown” and has continued as a home delivery option – “a wide range of delicious dishes, all with tantalisingly deep flavours”.